


Timestream (discontinued)

by rainrat



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gay, M/M, Realizing Feelings, Skeppy and Badboyhalo meetup, Skeppy visits Badboyhalo, Time - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:48:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28256436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainrat/pseuds/rainrat
Summary: "Time stops when I'm with you."Badboyhalo and Skeppy finally meet up. They both start to recognize feelings when they are together in real life, which they'd never really noticed before.(Inspired by clocks, the timestream, etc.)Note: I do not ship them irl, Skeppy just wants to find his girl some diamonds lmaoDiscontinued !! Currently organizing/coming up with other fanfic ideas. Watch out for those if you'd like :)
Relationships: Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch, skephalo - Relationship
Comments: 28
Kudos: 137





	1. 3:45 A.M.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, it's the author! This is a romance fic, my first fic on ao3. Pretty much just for practice. I wrote this for fun (don't actually ship them!) If you're reading this, I hope you like it :)

**3:45 A.M. (PST)**

A noisy buzzing sound startled him from his slumber. He lifted his hand in annoyance off of his vibrating phone. The 20-year-old did not bother to sit up, and merely glanced at the phone’s bright screen to read the time. _3:45 A.M._

Complete darkness shone through the window’s blinds, save for a slight sliver of moonlight. Skeppy's back ached as he used his arm to prop himself against the bed’s headboard. He rubbed his eyes and rejected the call that had awakened him. _It’s so early. What time is the flight?_

The Youtuber reached for his phone and found that it was to be at 7:00 A.M, and groaned. He knew that at least another hour of sleep was vital to keep him awake before heading to the airport. He slid back into his sheets and flipped his pillow onto the cool side. Skeppy shoved his face into it. A tingling feeling of excitement traveled up and down his spine. Skeppy struggled to find a comfortable position. He shifted his legs one way, and his arms the other. Nothing worked. The exasperated fellow gave up after several minutes had passed by. He simply could not fall asleep again.

 _You really want to meet Badboyhalo that bad?_ He asked himself. _Fine._

Skeppy then rolled off of his bed at an excruciatingly slow pace.

**8 A.M. (EST)**

Badboyhalo cuddled his furry dog, bringing her closer to his chest. The usually opened window of his was shut tight, but the bedroom’s temperature was still lower than he would prefer.

_It is December anyways._

“Wait right here, Lucy.” Bad lightly placed Rat onto his bed, humming.

He faced the wall and peered at the thermostat. _Today is going to be great._ Bad adjusted the temperature, quickly catching a look at the time. _I’m meeting Skeppy!_ He beamed. A thrill of happiness zig-zagged throughout his body. Bad fell backwards onto his bed and closed his eyes in content. Rat eyed her owner as he picked up his phone to check Twitter. As a well-known Youtuber, his notifications were most definitely flooded… and of course he also had notifications on for his best friend. Bad tapped on Skeppy’s most recent Tweet.

**@Skeppy**

**Meeting with Bad today! (Not a joke) :p**

Skeppy and Bad’s fans would never trust them completely, as they had been tricked before. Bad snickered. _But what they don’t know is that this time, it’s going to be different!_

**8 A.M. (PST)**

Zak yawned in his seat and traced his finger on the airplane window, forming a heart that faded in less than a second. His head felt heavy, and a thick mist of exhaustion seemed to envelope him. Skeppy leaned his cheek against his sleeve, breathing slowly against it in anticipation.

_I’m meeting Bad. He eventually agreed, after I’d bugged him constantly to._

Skeppy’s eyes sparkled for a moment.

 _I’m kind of nervous. This whole meet-up was last minute. But I will_ finally _see him in person._

The glint in his eyes faltered out of tiredness. Like a white flag being waved to surrender during war, Skeppy sighed and let himself finally drift off to sleep.

**2:30 P.M. (EST)**

Anyone could hear the fast skidding of Bad’s shoes as he ran across the crowded airport lobby. The people around him became nothing but a blur once Skeppy came into view.

“BAD!” His best friend waved, the top of his hair bouncing.

Badboyhalo stifled a chuckle in response. It was like an animated scene from a kids’ movie. The ones where time seems to stop and the focus is only on the two main characters. Both friends were absolutely exhilarated, running into each other’s arms and giggling. They were breathless after a few minutes, the energy in the room ecstatic. Skeppy’s heart fluttered as he looked his friend up and down. _My heart…?_

Bad ruffled Skeppy’s dark brown hair, his olive-green eyes glistening as he gazed into Skeppy’s eyes, which bore a resemblance...to two whole universes. Both of their hearts beat in sync for a second, a single combined note that rang in their ears.

Bad was the first to turn away. A warmth tinted his cheeks with a light shade of pink. _I’m blushing...?_

Time flowed back into its continuous, endless stream. Everything around the scene resumed once again, every noise gradually drowning out the moment that had just occurred.

Bad inhaled. “A-anyways. Glad that you’re here, you muffinhead.”

“Yeah. I’m glad to finally be able to see you. In person.” Skeppy exhaled.

It was silent for a couple of seconds.

Bad smirked when he noticed something. “Hey, I’m taller than you.”

Skeppy scoffed, “No you’re not! No way.” He used his hand to compare his height with Bad’s and realized it was true.

“Whatever, man.” Bad attempted to hold in his laughter at the discovery, but obviously failed.

“ _Whatever_ , man.” Skeppy watched in irritation as Bad laughed at him.

 _Pfft, his laugh is cute._ The young man’s eyes widened at his own thoughts. _I mean, no. Not cute._

“Did you say something?” Skeppy did not realize that he had spoken aloud. Bad’s expression was hard to read, but Skeppy could tell that he had heard him clearly. He hoped his friend would pass his comment off as nothing.

“...No. But it’s really crowded." Skeppy tugged on Bad's sleeve. "Let’s get out of here, Bad.” He had quickly changed the subject to ignore the current situation. Skeppy held his breath, running his fingers through his hair. _Jesus Christ, no one told me meeting friends IRL for the first time- would be like this._

His best friend nodded reluctantly, and then brought Skeppy into a hug one last time before they left the lobby together.


	2. 5:00 P.M.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two visit one of Bad's favorite places before heading home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas if you celebrate it! Happy holidays if not. I hope you enjoy this chapter. - Valo

**5:00 P.M.**

The winter air was not very friendly. Although there was no snow where Badboyhalo resided, a sharp breeze nipped Skeppy’s nose. His fingers were numb, as if unseeable pieces of ice, undetectable to the human eye were stinging his fingertips. The wind blew onto his hair quite furiously.

“Are you cold?” Bad questioned his friend, unlocking his car door. “Because the temperature here is a little lower than usual today. I’ll turn on the car heater if you need it.”

Skeppy was not cold. Yet of course he teased his companion, “I don’t know, am I?”

Bad shoved his takeout order into the backseat and rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me we’re doing another one of these things, but in person. Are you cold or not, Skeppy?”

“I don’t know.”

“Skeppy! Ugh, whatever. Want a hug? Gotta make sure you aren't.” Bad smiled, sitting down sideways in the driver’s seat. He beckoned for him to come forward.

Skeppy found this funny. “Dude, what? You’re like my mom or something.”

“Well, looks like I am now,” Bad shrugged. "Come here, you muffinhead. I just- it's really awesome that we can finally see each other. Like in person. And I just want to make sure you're comfortable during your stay.”

"Pfft. That's ridiculous, Bad." Skeppy snorted, but he stepped forwards and let the brunette-haired man wrap his arms around him anyways.

A warm sensation he had not experienced for such a long time started to grow in his chest, cozily blanketing his heart. He loved it.

_Wait- the hell?_

His eyebrows furrowed, uncertain about everything he was doing; everything he was thinking. He released himself from Bad’s embrace and bit his lip in confusion.

Bad did not notice how perplexed the man before him was. Zak felt funny. He wasn’t sure what it was, and was not sure whether he liked it or not.

Bad faced forwards to start the car. “Alright, onwards- to somewhere!” He laughed.

Skeppy couldn’t help but do the same. The drive was quiet. Why was there silence? There was never silence between them. Even when the two sat in calls together, with no sign of conversation between them, it still wasn’t _silence_. Maybe it was different because they were actually together, in real time?

The driver cleared his throat. “Hey Skeppy, I’ve someplace to show you. Do you wanna go?”

Zak’s face lighted up at the possible escape from the separating wall that had developed between them. “Sure, sure. Now?”

“Mhm, we can go now, and stay for a little while, before sunset.”

Bad grinned as the person to the right of him agreed.

**5:17 P.M.**

The car slowed as it reached the empty road on a side of a large meadow. The wispy clouds were a light azure color, stretching across the sky’s belly like a veil. A gentle wind brushed against Skeppy and Bad’s faces as they left the car. The friends squinted through the weak sun rays glimmering upon the plant life lying just ahead of them.

"This is one of my favorite places." Skeppy's friend whispered as they strolled through the field, careful not to step on the plants and flowers beneath their feet.

"A flower field? Also, why are we whispering?" Skeppy lowered his voice on instinct. The faint, sweet song of a bird could be heard from afar.

"Yes, a flower field. I was thinking that you might like it. And, why’re we whispering? It’s because we don't want to disturb any animals." The polite gentleman motioned for him to keep quiet.

Skeppy thought it was amusing that his friend cared about these little things.

Bad grasped his best friend's wrist to intertwine their fingers, their hands fitting perfectly together. Skeppy stood there, gaping at Badboyhalo's hand holding his own for the longest time. Time was nothing but a figment of his imagination when they touched. A rustling noise was heard as a gopher peeked out of a hole from the dirt, sniffing the air. It vanished in less than a second. A person shook his hand gently, yet sharply enough to alert him.

“Skeppy, what are you doing?” Bad questioned.

“Oh, shit.” The frantic individual fingered through the hair on his head once again, but more vigorously.

“Language.”

“Wait. Uhh.” He was almost _tugging_ on it because of the stress.

He had never experienced these thoughts and emotions this way when with Bad before. _Someone tell me why I feel this way._

Skeppy sucked in a deep breath.

“Nothing,” He laughed nervously. “Sorry about that, let’s just go.” He locked his arm with Bad’s.

“Skeppy, you’ve never even been here and you’re the one leading?” Bad pointed out, chuckling at the end of his sentence.

 _Whoops_. “Exactly, because I’m the best!” Skeppy joked in response, jabbing his thumb into his chest.

"I- no you aren't."

He stepped onto a jutting piece of earth behind him, so that he was somewhat taller than his friend on the lower side. The now taller man calmly lifted the shorter person’s chin between his index finger and thumb, his expression smug. Bad glared at him. _Hm, that's kinda cute._ Skeppy raised the bridge of his friend's glasses with the same hand, and teasingly pulled them off of his head. "Yes I am."

“Hey!” The clouds above slightly parted, allowing a single beam of light to illuminate Bad's eyes.

His eyes- the same shade as the grass blowing under Skeppy’s sneakers, and tickling against his bare ankles. His hair- A milk chocolate brown in the sun, like the gorgeous Earth thriving around them. Everything appeared to have paused. All was silent. Although, it was not the empty silence Skeppy had felt before. It was theirs. Their complete, sweet silence.

"Skep-" “Shhh,” Zak planted a finger on Bad’s lips. “Didn’t you say not to disturb the things around us? Be quiet, Bad, and let’s get a move on.”

The color rose in Bad’s face. _But it’s not because he’s annoyed_ , Skeppy noticed. _Bad’s flustered… because of_ me.

The older person pushed his younger friend away from him. “Okay, that’s enough. Give me back my glasses.”

“Nah.”

“Please, Skeppy.”

“Fine!” Skeppy started to hand back the glasses.

“Wait, no,” He smirked. “I want to put them on you.”

Badboyhalo loudly sighed, making a strange sound with his teeth. “Okay.”

The Youtuber pushed a strand of Bad’s hair behind his ear, then placed the glasses onto his face. He was startled by Bad leaning in and booping the tip of his nose. “Boop!” Skeppy frantically turned his head and covered his mouth, the heat rising in his cheeks like an ocean’s tidal waves.

His friend giggled. “Sorry, I just took the chance to get you back. You alright, Skeppy?”

The person Bad referred to nodded, still mildly disoriented. _Why does he make me like this?_

“Hmm,” Bad bent down to pat the ground, brushing away a few dead weeds. “Anyways, right here looks good, don’t ya think?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh! Wait here.” Bad ran off, his attention caught by something in the distance.

Skeppy groaned and pulled his hood over his head before positioning himself on the ground, in order to prevent his hair from becoming covered in dirt. A stream could be heard gurgling in the distance. Crickets chirped loudly alongside it. The man leaned back into the ground, resting his shoulders in the hard dirt. After a couple of seconds, Skeppy could hear a slightly muffled thumping rhythm beating deep in his ears, similar to a ticking clock.

Was it the Earth’s heart he heard, or his own? Or maybe it was Badboyhalo’s, beating from afar?

His eyes were closed when Bad returned.

“Hi Skeppy,” He peered down at the prince-like figure resting amongst the greenery. A butterfly, royal blue and covered in jet black patterns fluttered its wings nearby. It silently landed on the tip of Skeppy’s nose. “Oh m-”

The person beneath him opened one eye, and lifted up one of his fingers, in hopes of letting Bad know not to disturb the moment. It remained on his nose, refusing to fly away. Skeppy moved his arm. The pretty insect then made its way out of the scene. “Alright, what’d you want to show me?”

The black-haired man brought himself up to look at whatever Bad was holding in his hands.

“Flowers,” He handed two to his best friend. “I wanted to give you flowers from this place while you were staying. The ones here are so nice-looking.”

Skeppy examined them. One was a poppy, a deep velvet that gradually grew lighter at the corners. The other was an oxeye daisy, much smaller than the poppy with intricate ivory petals. They were lovely.

He could hear Bad sigh as he settled down beside him. “This cornflower reminds me of someone.” 

It was an indigo blue, its pistil a dusky violet.

“Who?”

Bad glanced briefly at Skeppy. “Hmm. You!”

“Me?”

“It’s blue, you muffinhead.”

“Well then. This one reminds me of you, Bad.”

Skeppy lifted up the poppy, allowing it to shine in the sun for a moment. He lowered it, eyeing it between his fingers.

“I get it, because it’s red. Right?”

“Right,” Skeppy placed the flower on his nose, crossing his eyes to look at it. “So you’re not gonna give that flower to me? Like an exchange?”

“Why?”

“Gimme.”

“Are you going to give yours to me?” Bad inquired, trailing his finger lightly across the daisies beside him.

“No. This flower is you. And you’re mine,” He hesitated. “...my best friend.”

“Aw, Skeppy...You’re mine too.”

The friends laid there together for a couple of minutes. Or maybe it was for an hour. Possibly days. The area they had chosen was glittering with the little sunshine the month of December gave. Several bees could be heard buzzing their music, like an orchestra as they circled the flowers. A single deer soundlessly glided through the grass on the side of the field, barely able to be seen. Wildflowers of blue, purple, and yellow shades rested by them. No, _with_ them. The grass around them swayed? No, they ___danced _-____ to the slow breathing of the wind. Time did not exist, and life was alive. They were best friends, and nothing else. 


	3. 5:37 P.M.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go home and watch a movie. Skeppy's confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
> 
> Hope you enjoy.
> 
> Sorry about any typos.

**5:37 P.M.**

The golden sun shut its eyelid, sinking into the abyss. “No lie, that’s really pretty.”

The sky’s remaining light highlighted Skeppy’s tan skin. A gorgeous sunflower-yellow glow emanated off of him. “Sunsets are _always_ pretty. Haven’t you ever watched one before?”

“It’s been some time.”

It glimmered, then faded away underneath a misty tangerine terrace. The timestream flowed smoothly. Luna rose into her throne. The world above was sucked of its reds, oranges, and purples. Now the stars could be seen blinking through the abalone-gray clouds above Skeppy and Badboyhalo’s heads. “It’s dark. I think we should get going.”

Bad adjusted his glasses and stood up on his feet. He extended his hand out to Skeppy. The blue person turned his head to the side in fake irritation.

“I can get up myself.”

Skeppy tried to get up, marking in his brain the dents in the ground to avoid stepping on them. Twilight was hardly visible- so there was almost no way to be able to do so. He caught a glimpse of a flower and mistook it for a rabbit. The puzzled man stumbled onto his bottom, landing in the deep grass. “Never mind. Bad please help me.”

The man Skeppy’d spoken to stood with his hands on his hips. He rolled his eyes, but chuckled as he helped his friend back up. The shorter man stretched. “Alright- let’s go!”

**7:00 P.M.**

“AWW!” Skeppy squealed, his eyes catching on Rat snoozing on the sofa.

He rolled in his suitcase, releasing his grip from the handle when he saw his friend’s pet. “Shhhhh!” Bad hissed, locking the front door with a barely audible click. “Don’t wake her up.”

“Sorry!” Bad’s best friend giggled. “Nice house, Bad.”

“Pfft, thank you.”

The complimentor bit his gum to hold in a laugh that wanted to escape his throat. The two turned to face each other in sync. They stared at each other briefly, then burst out in laughter at absolutely nothing- but it was everything. That was the wholesome nature of their friendship. Their fits subsided. “I'll show you to your room!”

Bad softly entangled his fingers with Skeppy’s and led him through the house. _Again?_ The thought echoed in the back of his head as his cheeks warmed. The flustered man looked toward the side of the house’s stairs, making sure his mahogany-red face was shadowed in the darkness. “Do you want to watch a movie later?” Bad flipped on the light switch.

Brightness flooded the area surrounding.

“Sure? Uh, sure!”

He hauled his suitcase up the steps, checking back a couple times so that it wouldn’t scrape against his ankles. “To the right Skeppy. The first door. That’s the guest room.”

Skeppy’s friend pointed to the alabaster-white door welcoming him on the side of the orange peel-textured wall. “Thanks, Bad. Thanks, I really appreciate it.”

Skeppy faced his friend and leaned in, catching his friend off guard. “Boop!” He sang, poking his nose. “To get you back too~”

Everything and nothing- paused. Badboyhalo tore the little moment with his words. “O-okay.”

He pushed his friend awkwardly into the room. “Settle in, you muffinhead. Do whatever you needa’ do and call me if you need me. I’ll be setting up the things for the movie. Be right back!”

Bad closed the door behind him. Skeppy was left alone. There was a signature vanilla-white bed layered with ivory sheets, queen-sized. The room looked recently cleaned. No dust could be seen except for the glittering minuscule specks floating around. The atmosphere was perfect but gloomy, the room cool but desolate. A light draft strummed the thin curtains. Skeppy raised his hand, angled towards the single window. A small amount of luminescence from the moon outlined his knuckles. Exhaling, the tired person flopped on his bed face-first. A deep chill traveled up his spine, foaming at the top like the crest of a rising wave. It crushed him, until it seemed like he was drowning under the weight. He laid there completely still for long, endless seconds. Drowning in the timestream. The clock ticked by, repetitively playing its annoying song, only getting louder and louder. _I miss him. Fuck._ Zak was confusing himself. _Already?_

“Skeppy.”

He brightened up at the voice, a flicker of a grin appearing on his face. “Hi.”

The person face-planted in the bed responded, his voice muffled.

“Rat.” Badboyhalo placed his dog in front of his best friend.

She barked joyously, panting as her owner petted her fur. Skeppy peeked half of his face up, a single brown eye gazing at Lucy being pet by his friend. “ARF!” He barked, then laughed when both owner and pet looked up in surprise.

“Oh my goodness Skeppy. Don’t do that!” He giggled. His eyes were shaped like crescents when he smiled. Bad’s laugh was like sunshine- Skeppy’s like moonlight.

Skeppy sat up and scratched Rat behind the ears. “Let’s get to watching, shall we?”

That smile in his voice. It was always there, but this time hearing it in person, clearly in his ears- it made _Bad_ feel something. Something...different.

**7:15 P.M.**

“Wait, wait. Let’s take a picture and Tweet it out. Tease the crowd.” Skeppy referenced their fans.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure, Bad.” He opened up Twitter.

Skeppy checked his DMs, then exited the bird app. He left it on tab as he clicked on the camera button. The screen illuminated his face in the dim living room. “Alright!” The dark-haired man jumped in front of Badboyhalo, quickly snapping a picture with him before peering down at his phone.

It was bad-quality and a rather blurry photo, but that was good. It was a long running joke for the YouTuber to never take good-quality pictures whenever he met up with friends. He typed, “Finally met up with @Badboyhalo,” then pressed “Tweet.”

“We’re going to fucking break Twitter.” He snickered.

“Language!”

“Sorry!” Skeppy picked his phone back up, finding a reply with a hundred likes under his tweet.

**Plim @plim_plam_**

**STREAM??**

The person who never streams smirked. He liked the tweet, knowing that he and Bad would stream together the next day. Hopefully they would get the message, but Skeppy liked teasing his fans like that.

“Swearing’s okay, Skeppy. But you better not say any naughty language on my stream tomorrow!”

Skeppy nodded and flopped onto his friend’s sofa. He bent backwards, practically descending into the sofa’ cushions. It was soft and cozy, like Bad's embrace. The 20-year-old stared at the pitch-black screen of his phone. His reflection showed his exhausted eyes and messy hair. Man, today has been a long day. I just wanna watch the movie and sleep. He felt a weight indent the side of the sofa, sinking him deeper.

“Alright, what do you want to watch?” His friend beside him inquired.

“Uhh, I don’t know a lot of movies. Wait. THE BEE MOVIE!” Skeppy half-joked.

“The BEE MOVIE?? Skeppy- it’s a funny movie, but no.”

"Come on dude. It'll be fun! It'll brighten up whatever the hell this is." He waves his hand through the air to motion at the gloomy energy in the room.  
  


"Finee." Bad on the pull switch of a lamp, which illuminated half of the room. 

"Now come sit right by me." Skeppy patted the cushion beside him.   
His best friend started to walk to the kitchen. "one second. I need to get snacks."   
  
"Aww Baddd. I'll miss you." Badboyhalo's clingy friend whined. He had always done this, on streams and calls. It was normal, mostly a joke.   
  


"Oh my goodness, Skeppy. I'll be back in a second. Watch Rat for me."  
  
"I'll do whatever to make you stay," Skeppy joked, tugging on Bad's hoodie. "Money? A hug? A kiss, maybe?"   
  
The mischievous joker pointed to his lips. Bad threw his head to the right instantly. "Skeppy please." 

A feeling twisted in Skeppy's stomach. It was a longing cry, something that made him so perplexed. So very confused.

He threw his arms around Bad. That feeling again. Skeppy stood up, moving his friend so that he would face him. Nuzzling his face into Bad's sweatshirt until he only saw darkness, he murmured, "I just feel lonely..." 

He did. He felt so lonely. Even though his best friend was with him, he felt lonely.   
  


Bad inhaled nervously. "There's Lucy! You aren't alone."   
  
"I don't care about snacks, Bad. I just want you here." 

"..."

The realization of what he was doing scorched his brain, awakening him from his pouring thoughts.   
  
"Oh fuck. I'm sorry. I've been feeling like this the whole day. After we met."  
  
"Oh no, did I do something wrong?"  
  
"Nonono. I promise you didn't."   
  
Bad ruffled his friend's hair, his hand falling lightly and caressing his cheek. _As a friend._ Something stirred in Skeppy, a positive feeling. But it made his heart pound, the sound slamming into his ears. It made his stomach churn, a million fireflies lighting it up. _This isn't right._ It was a feeling that made him want to- it made him blurt out, "I'm straight!"   
  
Both people stood there. It was quiet, but so loud. What time was it? How long had it been since they'd met? The year? It could be 1979, or 2072.   
  


"Holy muffin. I know that, Skeppy. What's going on?"   
  


"Nothing, I swear Bad," He pulled apart from his friend. "Ignore whatever just happened. Forget it, please."   
  
The taller man cleared his throat. "I'll just go get the snacks."  
  
Skeppy was left alone. There was nothing except for the sound of Rat's breathing.  
  
He sat there in shock. _What the fuck just happened? Why'd I say, "I'm straight?" What does my sexuality have to do with this? Why do I feel like this-  
  
_"I'm back!" His friend sprinted into the room. "Let's watch that movie and have a good laugh. I know something's not right, but that's valid if you'd rather not tell me. I love you, okay?"   
  
_I love you?_ Bad always said that to Skeppy. Back in 2019. Last month. At 3 P.M. yesterday. Through calls, texts- even Tweets. This time... it just hit differently.   
  
"I love you too." He said, but with a different meaning behind it.   
  
**8:57 P.M.  
  
**

The T.V. was turned off. The remote was set on the coffee table, trash in the trash can. 

"I think I'm gonna head out now." Bad glanced over at Skeppy who was staring at the wall, his cheek resting on his palm.   
Bad carried his fluffy dog in his arms and looked over his shoulder. "Goodnight Skeppy!"   
  


The 20-year-old sighed. "Goodnight, Bad."   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, plim_plam_ is a real @ !  
> Read their fanfic here on ao3!  
> Info -  
> Title: Book One: Rebirth  
> Fandoms: atla, alok


	4. 9:00 P.M.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> skeppy can't sleep.
> 
> tw // panic attack symptoms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi im sorry for not posting consistently, i have been busy with school and other things. anyhow, i hope you enjoy this chapter!

**9:00 P.M.**

His throat itched. He coughed. Skeppy lifted himself off of the sofa, tiredness overwhelming him. The tired man yawned and brought his hands above his head with an eased fashion. He stretched as he drowsily trudged to his room.  
  
He switched on the light in the bedroom and hushedly pushed open the bathroom door. Skeppy stepped in front of the mirror, only to see a disaster in front of him. But that was okay. He was only around Bad and Bad couldn't care less. _Badboyhalo._ Skeppy reminisced about his smile, the spark in his eyes when he looked at him, the giggly laugh he breathed out after hearing a joke. Then he carried on to wash himself. 

**9:45 P.M.**

Face-planting into his bed and pushing his phone across it, Skeppy groaned. That somber feeling of loneliness flooded his brain and tore through his guts. The ticking of the clock behind him was as unhurried and noisy as ever. It was horrible, but bearable.

_Alright...I should probably try to sleep now. It's pretty early, but I'm tired as hell._

The man shut his eyes and curled up into the bedsheets. He folded the chilly pillow over his ears and face, the fabric stopping his breath. The stream of time strolled on by. The endless ticking noises from the clock grew louder and louder until it rang in his ears.

Skeppy turned over.

A singular branch of light glimmered through the curtains and stung his eyes. He raised his hand out, examining it under the moon's cold shine, then slapped it across his face out of restlessness. He attempted to fall back into that bottomless slumber where he...could be completely unbothered by the world for a period of time.

Skeppy turned over again.   
  
_What time is it?_

He clicked the home button on his phone, the light causing him to squint. Skeppy immediately lowered the phone's brightness, and stared at the lockscreen for the longest time possible before he remembered what he picked up his phone for. _Right. It's 10:10 P.M._

Although he was tired, he just couldn't. Couldn't sleep. Maybe it was because he was not used to going to bed so early. That _couldn't_ have been the case though- as he was really really quite exhausted. At least physically.

Something...wanted to come out of him, but couldn't, and he wanted that thing _out_. It was stuck, beneath his emotions like a stick in the mud. Emotions which he simply could not understand. Skeppy never bothered to check in with his feelings. This time they were screaming something that he wasn't ready for. He didn't know what was happening to him. It was a desire that made him want to squirm out of stress and pull on his hair until he had none. 

The little amount of light peeking through the curtains was so painfully bright, and the clock was still pounding loudly. _That fucking clock_ , he realized. So loud. Thoughts flooded his brain, curling and punching every small crevice of his mind- leaving him with a horrible headache. 

The 20-year-old stuffed his face into his pillow, pulling the comforter around his shviering body. He couldn't breathe. The ticking got louder. His ears picked up the faint hodgepodge of traffic outside the window. That intensified, too. He gasped for air.

Everything was moving so fast- and when he said everything, he meant _everything_.

Time didn’t stop at any station for him, it kept on chugging along, never giving Skeppy a break. The Minecraft Youtuber looked around frantically. For what? He didn’t know.

 _THE CLOCK._ He knew.

It was making time move too slow, too fast whenever he was around _Bad,_ and he didn’t even know how he felt about that. He climbed out of bed and edged his fingers along the case of the circular clock, which hung alone on the wall. _Shut up._ Skeppy roughly grabbed the clock off of the one nail holding it up, pressing his forehead into the freezing glass.   
Everything zoomed past and slowed down. Everything everything. The honking of a car, the cold of his feet, the closet that resembled a black hole in the inky darkness of the night, his platonic(?) love for Bad.

He sniffled as a single tear fell from his face. _I'm going crazy._

His arms shook, hands cold and sweaty, neck hot as fire. A sudden distressed feeling swam deep into his soul, and he abruptly threw the clock onto the hard floor.

A loud smash trembled in the depths of his eardrums. Everything seemed to fall down. He fell down too. It was a release.

-  
  
"SKEPPY! ARE YOU OKAY?"  
  
Bright lights flashed from the ceiling and stung his eyeballs. The earth seemed to waver through his vision. Skeppy quickly re-covered his face. "Mm faine." That was a lie, he felt gross as fuck.

"NO, you're not. You fell on the ground and I- I heard something break," Bad pointed at the shimmering ivory and clear shards scattered across the hardwood flooring. "Why did you break my clock? I mean- that doesn't really matter to me, what matters is are you okay, Skeppy?"  
  
The weary man on the hard ground did not open his eyelids again. "No." He spoke the truth.  
  
"Tell me what's going on, you've been acting weirdly today..." Bad walked over, making sure not to touch the shattered glass less than an inch near his socks.   
  
"I don't- I don't fucking know," He irritatedly extended his leg and kicked aside a miniscule piece of glass before wincing when the tip caught on his foot. "Sleep with me tonight." Skeppy muttered, placing his head in his hands. He felt more comfortable covering his face, so he couldn't see his friend's gaze. For no reason particularly.   
  
"Woah there, what do you mean by that?" There was a nervous giggle in his best friend's comment as he stepped over to where his best friend was positioned.  
  
"Like friends. Best friends. Like homies. You get it?"

Skeppy was lonely. He wanted his friend tonight.  
  
"Pfft, yes you muffinhead," Bad shoved his arms into his sweatshirt pocket and observed Skeppy for a couple of seconds. "Okay, fine. I think Rat will be okay for one night."  
  
"Yay."   
  
"Hm... but we should get this cleaned up beforehand-"  
  
"I'm tired."   
  
"Mm..okay. We _need_ to clean this up tomorrow though." The taller person scratched his head, then stepped a pace over to fix the uneven bedsheets and pillows.  
  
Skeppy stiffly sat up, groaning from the unexpected movement of his body. "I'll do it. You don't have to Bad, it was me," He knew his friend was going to argue, because Badboyhalo was just that nice. "I mean, thank you."  
  
"No problem. Anyway, you're tired right? Get over here then," Skeppy's friend lifted up the blankets, urging him to walk on over. He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to carry you, Skeppy."  
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
Bad laughed, biting his lip before agreeing. "Okay fine."  
  
Skeppy raised his arms up. "Help."   
  
Badboyhalo pulled the shorter person's upper limbs, squeezing him around the waist once his body was halfway up. Skeppy could feel the breath of his friend dance across his neck. He wanted him closer. A funny feeling fluttered throughout his body, but faltered promptly after Skeppy was hoisted switfly onto the bed.   
  
The blue man sighed. "Thanks Bad." He turned over to check the time. _10:40 P.M.  
  
_ Skeppy slowly leaned the left side of his head into his pillow. He was completely still, almond-brown eyes wide with curiosity as he watched his best friend flick off the light switch and climb into bed with him.   
  
The streamer took off his glasses and set them on the nightstand to the left of the bed.   
  
"This is like a sleepover!" Skeppy chuckled, relieved that the energy in the room wasn't as sharp and anxious as it was an hour ago.   
  
"It is one!" Bad was the definition of ":D".  
  
The two shifted closer to each other, glad to be with one another after having to delay their meet-up for so long. Badboyhalo grinned at his friend, his warm smile leaving Skeppy burning. The blue man who was now _red_ flipped over so Bad wouldn't have to see him flustered.  
  
He felt a hot hand come in contact with his side. Skeppy flinched, his breath hitching. Then soft arms fully wrapped around him. The shorter person's head spun, the color of his cheeks becoming much more comparable to a grapefruit. Skeppy's friend's chin rested upon his upper back. "Goodnight, you muffinhead." 

  
Skeppy's shock subsided and he let himself loosen up in his best friend's arms. His usual confidence and bouncing energy had staggered throughout the day because of this man. He had not been in character. Now- he had found himself again. Badboyhalo looked at him in surprise when Skeppy quickly hugged him back, pulling him closer. He adjusted his position and slipped a leg through the gap between Bad's legs as his face barely pulled into a drowsy smile. The soulmates grasped each other tightly and held on to that sense of comfort and home. _I think I might like you. In a different way than you probably think right now._ Skeppy had never felt this way before with his best friend (or maybe he had), but it was...alright. He would cope. Maybe. "I love you."

The words lifted off of his tongue into the air between them, but with a different definition than all of the past "I love you's".  
  
"I love you too."   
  
Even though Skeppy knew Bad would never like him back in that way, he was content with what he had right now. His body relaxed, the peaceful vibes of the room conducting a silent lullaby, lulling him to sleep.   
  



	5. (no update)

Hi I'm raindeer !! Sorry for the lack of updates , personal problems came in the way and I have been unable to find the motivation and time to continue . I'd just like to state my thank you's and express my appreciation for all of you who have continued to read my little fanfic . The amount of support ( comments , etc. ) has made my days so much better, thank you very much . To add , this was really just to practice writing , and really wasn't built well . I did not have a stable plot planned out and anyone can see that it was quite messy . Anyway , if you enjoy my writing , I do have other ideas for fanfics in mind/I am still organizing so if you'd like , look out for those !! Thank you once again <3


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